daily news and photography about cacti and succulents and some carnivorous plants too

Golden Barrel Cactus

Hi We have a healthy Echinocactus grusonii of about fourty years age. It has been in the same pot for about the last thirty years. It is growing up into a cylinder rather than being a ball shape. Any thoughts on this? I am wondering if it is to do with the shape of the pot (it is about a 6 inch/15cm cube). The cactus (we call it spiny norman) is about 5 inches diameter and 10 inches tall. Jean-Pierre

Jean-Pierre,

Congratulations! E. grusonii’s that survive to 40 then tend to go vertical! They’re called “Barrel” cactus because eventually they take on the shape of a barrel, rather than staying a ball shape.

Barrel Cactus with a barrel shape:

Photo of a barrel:

However, I would recommend a larger pot after all this time. But be careful repotting, you don’t want it to go into shock.